Miami Central RB Dalvin Cook named Florida’s Mr. Football

When his backfield mate Joseph Yearby went down with an injury, Miami Central running back Dalvin Cook made sure the Rockets stayed on course to a state championship.

Cook secured an elite place among Florida football athletes Friday when he was named the 2013 Mr. Florida Football winner by the Florida Dairy Farmers Association.

Cook is the third recipient of the award since its inception (1992) from Miami-Dade County, joining former Miami Northwestern quarterback Jacory Harris (2007) and former Miami Norland running back Duke Johnson (2011).

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Cook, a senior who recently switched his college commitment to national champion Florida State, ran for a county-best 1,940 yards and 34 touchdowns on 177 carries (11 yards per rush average) this season. Cook also intercepted three passes on defense.

His efforts helped the Rockets win their third state championship in the past four seasons and become the first Dade team to advance to four consecutive state finals.

Yearby, a University of Miami commitment, sustained a season-ending injury when he fractured his fibula in the first quarter of Central’s Class 6A regional final win against Palm Bay Heritage. Cook ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns in that game.

Two weeks later, Cook ran for 223 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-7 state championship win against Seffner Armwood.